1971–1993 · Shetland, United Kingdom
Lunohods-1
For three years after she was driven ashore, the Lunohods-1 stood largely whole and in plain sight off Kirkabister Ness, until the constant North Sea swell wore her down to a fragment showing only at low water. She was a steel diesel fishing vessel of 2,774 tons, launched at the Chernomorsky Shipyard in Nikolayev in 1971 for Zapryba and sold in 1991 to the Leipaja Ocean Fishing Fleet in Latvia.
She came to Shetland each year to serve a fleet of trawlers working the nearby grounds. Two days after one such arrival, a force 10 gale set her dragging her anchor, and she went onto the rocks just south of the lighthouse, where her hull was holed within about an hour and she settled by the bow. Her crew abandoned her.
The wreck now lies broken in two main sections down a steep rocky slope, the stern nearest the shore, with her engine block the largest piece left.
- Year built
- 1971
- Lost
- 1993
- Tonnage
- 2,774 GRTdiesel
- Length
- 83.9 m14.03 m beam
- Depth
- 5–25 m
- Location
- Shetland, United KingdomNorth Sea
Deeper than 67 of the 185 wrecks on the map with a recorded depth.
History and LossLost 1993 · Shetland, United Kingdom.
She arrived in Shetland on 7 November 1993 and went ashore around 2:30am on 9 November. Her distress calls were picked up by the coastguard, and the Lerwick lifeboat and RAF helicopters attended. Helicopters lifted 56 men off, the lifeboat took three from a liferaft and one man scrambled ashore from a second liferaft; no one was lost.
Built 1971; 22 years in service. Lost 1993.
Condition of the WreckBroken, in 5–25 m.
Intactness
Broken and shattered debris covers the seabed. The bow remains lie in deeper water to around 45 metres, and little of substance survives apart from her engine block.
Notable Features
- Anchor
- Engine
Sea-Surface Temperature by Month
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Surface temp | 8.1° | 7.3° | 7.1° | 7.5° | 8.8° | 10.6° | 12.3° | 12.8° | 12.2° | 11.3° | 10.3° | 9° |
Additional Details9 further fields held for this wreck and not shown above.
- Propulsion
- Diesel
- Loss date
- 1993
- Latitude
- 60.1195° N
- Longitude
- 1.1208° W
- Water body
- North Sea
- War grave
- Not recorded
- Protected
- No
- Permit required
- No
- Condition
- Broken
Sources and VerificationEvery fact on this page traces to a published source.
- Historic Environment Scotland (Canmore, NRHE)inspire.hes.scot · Official record6 facts
- UK Hydrographic Officedatahub.admiralty.co.uk · Official record3 facts
- NOAA / NASA JPL MUR SST v4.1coastwatch.pfeg.noaa.gov · Institution or archive1 fact
- Scottish Shipwrecksscottishshipwrecks.com · Secondary source15 facts
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Historic Environment Scotland.
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right.
- JPL MUR MEaSUREs Project. GHRSST Level 4 MUR Global Foundation Sea Surface Temperature Analysis (v4.1). PO.DAAC. https://doi.org/10.5067/GHGMR-4FJ04
A further 5 fields were derived from the wreck’s recorded position rather than taken from a source.
Licences and credits for the open data used on this site are on the Attribution page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Lunohods-1?
Lunohods-1 is the wreck of a ship, off Shetland, United Kingdom, at 25 metres. Lunohods-1 was lost in 1993.
How deep is the Lunohods-1?
Lunohods-1 lies at 5 to 25 metres, North Sea, Shetland.
How did the Lunohods-1 sink?
The cause of the loss of Lunohods-1 is not recorded in the sources held; the loss is dated 1993.